Improvement in horseshoes



UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

' GEORGE BRYDEN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSESHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 55,362, dated September 29, 1 874 applicati n filed November 12, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BRYDEN, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, where- Figure 1 is a view of the face of a shoe for a forward foot. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same with the removable heel-bar omitted. Fig. 3 is a side or edge view of the shoe shown in Fig. 1 from the side A. Fig. 4 is a view of the shoe in vertical section on the dotted line as m. Fig. 5is a view of the shoe in transverse vertical section on the dotted line 3 3 Fig. 6 is a detail view of the removable heel-bar.

These shoes are specially designed for trottin g-horses and gentlemens driving horses. The invention in this shoe consists in so constructin g the shoe that the calk ordinarily placed at the front and projecting from the face of the shoe can be dispensed with, and beveling or rounding the face of the shoe at the 7 front, so as to make the action of the horses foot assimilate to its natural action, and thus preventing the strain upon the rear tendons of the leg caused by the common raised calk.

There is no calk projecting from the face of the shoe; but the front part of the shoe is made to act as a calk, as follows: There is a bevel, a, upon the inner side of each of the two prongs or forks of the shoe coming to a rather abrupt termination at a and also at a and a sharp shoulder, 1), runs from a to a and performs all the functions of a calk that is necessary for a shoe for a forward foot, as the horse exerts very little propelling power with these feet. Having thus dispensed with a projecting calk, and by so much lightened the shoe, and assimilated the action of the foot to its natural action, I round off the front of the face of the shoe at c, so as to still further lighten the shoe, and assimilate the action of the foot still closer to its natural action, thus avoiding the strain on the flex or tendons of the leg caused by the common raised calk. The outer ledgeolof each of the sunken grooves e for the reception of the heads of the nails is sunk below the face of the shoe f, so that the heads of the nails shall not project above the face of the shoe. The concussion of the horses foot upon the ground is borne partly by the heads of the nails in a shoe of the common construction, causing the nails to work in the hoof, and sometimes chip and crack it. I thus sink the heads of the nails for the purpose of wholly or partly overcoming this trouble. In the bottom of the shoe there are two mortises, g g, in which rest the ends of a detachable and removable heel-bar, h, when the heel of the hoof needs protection and support.

I claim as my invention 1. A shoe for a horses foot having the two bevels, a a, the shoulder b, and the front a rounded off, all substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. A shoe for a horses foot having a flat face, and the front made to pitch inward and backward, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE BRYDEN.

Witnesses:

WM. EDGAR SIMoNDs, HENRY SMALL. 

